Rin grinned from the executive assistant desk, patting a stack of papers against the wood to straighten them out. Nico sauntered past her with a small wave and let himself into Jin's office.
The CEO's swivel chair sat with its back to the door. The enormous windows spilled sunlight onto the marble tile floors, his crowded desk, half of the modern wood walls. Over the top of the seat, Nico could make out the top of Jin's head. Black strands of hair turned golden by the perfect circle in the sky that allowed the sun to shine after the morning's drizzle.
Without turning around, Jin said, "It stopped raining."
Nico slowly approached the desk, chuckling under his breath. "Thank you, Seokjin. I could not tell."
The other man stayed silent, basking in the storm's break for as long as it prevailed. Nico enjoyed the view alongside him for a few seconds, but returned his attention to his dear friend when the sky no longer called his name.
"I have not seen you in what feels like a long time."
"It has been a while," Jin confirmed.
Nico sat in the chair before Jin's desk. "Need I ask why?"
Silence stretched over the office, the sunlight dimming as a thin veil of cloud buried it.
"Everyone wonders about you. Your absence is notable."
"She doesn't want to see me," Jin stated.
Nico smiled to himself. "She is stubborn, but she is not vengeful."
"She will not forgive me as she forgave all of you."
Nico leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. "She will not."
"This is my fault," Jin whispered, "I don't want her to turn me away."
Cautiously, Nico said, "Seokjin, turn towards me."
The swivel chair soundlessly spun. Jin faced Nico with his head down, gaze locked on his desk. Dark circles riddled the skin beneath his eyes. Nico figured he hadn't slept in days. His own form of punishment for the events of the ball. One of the strongest pillars of Anaphiel, cracking at the seams.
The Second King of the Eternal Realm folded his arms in his lap. "Your relationship with Grey is not one that I have seen before. It is a silent bond that does not require tethering or immense attachment. Instead, it functions as smoothly as a reflex; an action performed without conscious thought. An automatic response. You know that your first impulse is to protect her. Though she may never say it aloud, she knows who would step in front of her in the face of danger. Trust is the foundation behind that understanding. When that is shaken, doubt lurks throughout the bond."
Jin thought for a second. "Is protection the only thing I can offer?"
Nico grinned, shaking his head. "If you would only talk to her, you would be surprised to hear what things she would approach you with. I speak only from experience. You have a lot of catching up to do."
"How? How do I fix this?"
"Well," Nico began, "we can start with our actions. She needs someone to help her find a way home and I need someone to help read the tower of books I have compiled about our traditions. If angels are good at anything, we are good at being complicated."
"Then it's done. I'll take time off work."
Nico's proud smile uplifted Jin's mood. "After research, approach her. Tell her everything. Let her ask questions to her heart's content. Leave nothing unsaid."
Jin shifted nervously in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck. "It'll be a challenge."
"You are correct. Keep in mind that the best way to regain the trust of someone that has bared their soul to you, is to bare your own."
"Hey," Jin furrowed his brows, "Stop it. Stop this. Explain. When did you become a relationship guru?" Jin furrowed his brows.
Nico scoffed. "Is it so surprising?"
"I guess not. You're a girl in your spare time."
"I keep knowledge on all subjects, regardless of gender. Leave me alone."
Jin laughed, the windshield wiper sound making Nico join in. As they settled, Nico stood. "It is about time you left this office and your daze. You are the eldest, but that does not mean you will not make mistakes. Grey is still at the photoshoot with Jimin, so we have time to get you a warm meal before she returns."
The CEO couldn't get away from his desk quickly enough. "Thank you for this."
:::
Grey sped through the hallways of the penthouse, hanging on to the coat around her neck with a lazy hand. The kitchen was empty, the living room was empty, the foyer before the elevator was empty. The corridors surrounding her room didn't contain a soul. Which, they rarely ever did but she didn't want to leave any stone unturned.
Yoongi said nothing before he left the shoot. And for some reason it dug into her skin from the moment she returned to being herself.
Everywhere she turned, she hoped he would be there. Brooding over something or staring off into the distance. When each location proved unfruitful, she slowed her jog and sighed. He could just be avoiding her. It would be easy for him to do since all it took was a snap of his fingers and he vanished from the face of the earth. However, the idea wasn't the easiest to consider. Him not wanting to speak to her was not the easiest to consider.
The last place she knew to inspect was the library. As she burst through the doors ready to call his name, she caught her breath.
At the reading tables were two figures. Luca curled into a ball atop a stack of books while the longer, taller man to her left rested his head on his arms. Both of their chests rose and fell to a steady rhythm, their whispered breaths filling the room. Grey inched closer, her neck craning a bit to analyze the man that she almost didn't recognize.
Jin's peaceful face made her stop in her tracks.
He looked like a ghost. Even with his eyes closed he appeared paler, exhausted. Though he cushioned himself, a portion of his cheek still pressed into the book he must have been hovering over before sleep. Grey ran a hand through her hair, putting the pieces together as a gentle snore escaped his lips.
She thought of the ways in which she could walk away, pretend to never have seen this, mind her own business. Yet, some stupid feeling rooted her to this spot. It forced her to look at him, really look at him and the gap that widened between them.
Every member of Anaphiel had been guilty. All seven, not just one.
It just felt like one--felt like him--since she expected more.
Quietly, Grey slipped the coat from her shoulders and laid it over Jin's. He stirred, frowning slightly until his eyes fluttered open. They were red and confused, but surprised when he noticed her still standing there. He sat up, gathering his bearings. A fine crease reddened his cheek where the book made a groove.
"I didn't mean to wake you," she mumbled.
Jin shook his head and stretched his arms overhead. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep."
"Where have you been?"
Jin seemed surprised by the question, tilting his head to the side. "The office. We're getting a bit busy this season."
Grey rolled her eyes. "You haven't scheduled any events, meetings, or summits for the rest of the year. Unless you've been down there playing computer games, where have you been?"
She may not have been in the office, but she kept up with her schedule and emails. The company was a ghost-town, relying on past clients to invest in further equipment. Upon Jin noticing that she wouldn't let another lie slide past, he flattened his lips into a straight line.
"I was in the office giving you your space," he corrected.
"It would be best if you followed the memo and started telling the truth."
"Fair." He rubbed his swollen eyes and scooted back in his seat. "I owe you that."
She scoffed, doing her best not to raise her voice so that Luca would remain asleep. "You owed it to me from the beginning."
Jin stood from his seat and tossed her coat over his arm. He gestured for her to follow with two fingers.
"Why should I follow you?" Her question made him pause. "And try to be honest."
Jin turned slowly, not a hint of anger or irritation in his expression. "Grey," he said, "I'm not going to fight you. I'm not your enemy. I only want to speak to you."
She clenched her jaw, the desire to fight back more than alluring.
Jin said, "Decide if I deserve you after I've answered your questions. Anything you want to ask, and some things I'll tell you on my own."
Grey relaxed, dulling the brilliance behind her glare. Without his gesture, she marched forward and he matched her pace. It was difficult enough to swallow her pride and be at the mercy of his teaching, but what made it harder was knowing that he knew this to be the easiest way to grab her attention.
"Where are we going?"
"Where I should have taken you on your first night."
"A rather vague description," she quipped, slipping past him as he held open the door to the library.
"I like to walk and talk."
The pair strolled to the elevator. "It's cold outside. You'll want a coat."
Jin pressed the call button, grinning to himself when the doors opened instantly. They filled opposite ends of the metallic chamber. "Who said anything about being outside?"
He pressed the button for the 42nd floor. Taehyung was the first thing she imagined. Also a night sky dripping with lights. Jin reminded her of his presence when he stepped off the lift first and marveled at the domed glass ceiling that shimmered with the evening's glow. Dying sunlight scattered from wall to wall, ornament to ornament, warming the completely golden corridor until it looked like honey coated the entire space. Albeit the lack of windows, a cool breeze danced around her and Jin with a scent virtually the same as fresh air. Rainbow streaks of luminance slashed at the mirrors, the crystal and gold chandeliers, the three doors at the end of the corridor.
It's beauty in the last of daytime unnerved her; cast the doubt that she was not yet ready to be here. And when she glanced back at Jin, who was smiling at her, she noticed the way light pooled about his head and silhouette. The way it framed him. It had done that to him and Jungkook when she first arrived at the skyscraper. Somehow, it managed to be done again.
"This room," Jin began, "is a replica of one of our palaces. Mine, to be exact. It will never be the real thing, but this space still gives me comfort."
His palace. A replica of it, but a carving of his home. A carving of who he used to be. No wonder it unsettled her--this was Jin. The entire atmosphere resembled him, and she had not recognized it with Taehyung because she had not yet known the CEO as much as she did now.
Grey stammered, "Y-your castle?"
"One of the wings. It is everyone's favorite, which is why we built it here together. To remind us of home."
If this was just a wing, what did the other wings look like? How many more were there? What did the palaces of the others look like? She clasped her hands behind her back, not wanting to touch anything.
"Are you ready to proceed, or would you like to stay here?"
"There's more?"
Jin extended a hand towards the three doors. "One room, really."
Uneasily, Grey tiptoed towards Jin and trailed him to the large doors. He rested his hands on the golden handles, closing his eyes for a long second before looking at her.
He admitted, "I've never shown this to a human."
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
"I should show you," he swallowed.
She placed her hand on his shoulder, a gesture that even surprised her. "Do whatever you think is right."
He nodded. "This is right."
The doors were thrown open, a whirlwind of air and flora blowing Grey's hair back. Jin extended an arm, she took it.
It was a greenhouse the size of a ballroom, but so much more than that. Styled as a rotunda of glass, brass, and gold the floor was crowned with flowers and shrubs that hugged a marble walkway. On top of it all, the sky's amber and crimson hue withered into lavender and indigo, signaling the beginning of night.
She and Jin wandered through a small grove of tulip trees the height of Grey's waist. The sweet smell was dizzying, but she clung to Jin when the tulips twirled and opened their narrow petals to reveal their glimmering eye. Wisps of light entwined about the stems of marigolds glistened at her feet. In front of her, white and pink azaleas rustled in the wind. Strangely, it reminded her of where she used to meet Variel.
"You know, there's a repeating pattern of pink."
Jin chuckled. "It's a wonderful color."
"What is this room?"
"A pitiful fraction of our courtyard. But, it serves more purpose than that."
Grey touched the petals of an orchid with her free hand. "It isn't just to be beautiful?"
Jin's grin fell. "It's a clock."
They arrived at a clearing of marble, with four letters imprinted in shimmering tile; N, S, E, and W. Directional symbols. Grey raised her eyebrow, just then noticing the round foundation of the floor and the other markings--Roman numerals spread equidistantly around the platform. A cluster of white gardenias blossomed in the center, tall and proud.
"It resembles a sundial, but functions like an hourglass. Instead of capturing the hours of day, it's a timer."
Grey frowned. "Everything except for that sliver at the top is dark."
Jin nodded, striding towards the tendril of moonlight that touched the floor near 12. He knelt next to it, grazed his fingers against the final numeral. "It's almost over."
"Everyone keeps saying that," Grey groaned, crossing her arms, "What does it mean?"
"Fallen angels don't get to roam this planet forever without consequences. Our light fades 250 years from the moment we land. On that 250th year, the Blood Moon comes. We go dark or we..."
They die. She knew already, but she still nodded silently, letting it sink in a final time.
Jin asked, "Do you know how long I have been on this planet?"
At her inability to answer, he proceeded. "249 years."
Jin continued, "All seven of us and Nico fell at the same time. They will be at mercy to the same Blood Moon as me, and do you know when that comes?"
She shook her head, biting the inside of her cheek. It couldn't be a good amount based on how skinny that strip of light shone at Jin's side.
"A little less than four months. The night of New Year's Eve."
Less than four months.
Grey sat down, extra weight bearing down on her shoulders; like gravity tugged her into a solid spot while the world reeled around her.
Less than four months to kill Vanity, or retrieve a sword that existed solely in lore as far as she understood. Less than four months to get home. Less than four months before her help and resources and her life turned to ashes.
"So, we have until New Year's."
"Yes. After, I don't know where I'll be if I'm not dead. I won't want to help you. My emotions will shut off."
"Pause." She narrowed her eyes. "You'd consider turning dark?"
"I consider it every day." He sat with his legs crossed, not daring to avert his gaze from hers. The fearlessness that lied there... Grey wasn't sure if it was exhilarating or condemning.
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Is anyone ever actually ready to die?"
There wasn't a clear answer, but she refused to let the topic disintegrate like this.
"Listen to yourself. You consider it. Still. After all this time. You've never actually given in. Because it's not who you are and you have a responsibility to stay strong for the others. For me, too."
"Anaphiel doesn't need me."
"I do."
Jin swallowed, his eyes darting to the strip of moonlight. His soft whisper carried with the wind. "Thank you."
"Before I say anything else, answer my next question."
Jin bit his lower lip, nodding while lost in thought.
"She said that after you fall, you lose the ability to feel love and any emotion attached to it." Her heart beat out of her chest. She shifted so that she no longer sat on her knees. Partially because they were becoming sore against the marble. Partially because her nerves wouldn't let her stay still. She steeled herself with a long, deep breath, and continued. "All of you fell. And that didn't stop you from pretending to feel something for me. If you can't love, if you can't even like me... why pretend?"
Jin rolled his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Sighing from his nostrils, he beheld Grey when he was ready. "Most of what she said is true, I won't deny that. But the darkening process is a process. In the beginning, I felt everything. So did the others. The butterflies, the warmth, the thrill that came with seeing that significant other. The heartache too, which only got worse as years went by and I could never get close to anyone because she always took them away."
Vanity. She took them away. Even now, she threatened to take Grey.
Jin went on, "By the 170th year I became numb. Connections were not easy, communication was not easy. I'd fought in wars, lived in several other countries never able to settle, I'd been bested by Vanity enough. I realized how stranded we were. And there was so much blood on my hands."
A tear streamed down his cheek. He made no move to wipe it away.
"50 years ago, the angels and I made a decision. We would not drag anyone else into our mess. We would find a way to get back to the Eternal Realm without bloodshed. We considered the amulet, but dropped the idea because of the sacrifice it needed. We looked for the journal that would help us find the sword. Whatever we could do to not break the curse with an act of love.
"We've searched the world endlessly. We don't know where it is."
He dropped his head into his hands, his body jolting from sobs. Grey crawled over, both arms encircling him even as he trembled. She hadn't realized she'd been crying too until he pulled away and grazed the skin underneath her eye with a gentle finger.
"Are you crying for me?" He asked.
She laced her fingers with his, comforted by his frozen touch. Because touching bitter frost was better than nothing at all.
Squeezing his hands, she said, "Tell me the rest."
Jin nodded. "The longer you cling to love, the longer it remains. We know this to be true because the agreement we made to abstain from it was broken three years ago by one of the most optimistic in our midst."
He rubbed his thumb against the back of Grey's hand as she listened.
"When he wasn't looking for it, it landed right in his lap. She landed right in his lap, literally. He broke her fall when she tripped over her own two feet. The way that they looked at each other... I saw it then. Something turned on. Like a switch. He smiled after maintaining a blank face for years. They were inseparable after that moment. Even against our warnings, he went to see her."
Grey's voice was raspy. "Who are you talking about?"
"Hoseok and Rin."
Grey's eyes widened, her neck craning back in surprise. "Rin?"
"I didn't believe it either, but you should have seen the way he would fight against us to be there for her. Like he'd already devoted himself to her side. Those long years spent regretting his actions evaporated."
"Did he love her?"
"I believe the words were too strong for him to utter aloud after over two centuries of loss and hopelessness. Right when he could have admitted it, the past snuck up on him. He said nothing for fear of her not feeling the same way. When she noticed his silence and mustered the strength to confess, Vanity had already caught word of their relationship. She sent irkans for her. By the time we reached her, she was bleeding out."
"But she's still alive! How did she survive?"
"Hoseok flew her to the hospital in a nick of time. She made it through the night and he watched over her from a distance, but inside, he knew. Loving her exposed her to Vanity, her demons, and her mercy. Loving her became harder than letting her go. As soon as she woke up in her bed, Hoseok compelled her to forget everything to save her life."
Grey recalled the one instance that she'd seen it herself. Before the ball, when Rin saw Hoseok, she'd looked like she'd seen a figment of her imagination. The phantom of desire and awe in that gaze was staggering. Hoseok had ignored her like he'd never met her before, and she said nothing when he turned away. But it was there, an undercurrent of tension.
With glassy eyes, Jin peered into her soul. "We may not be able to love wholly, but that does not subtract from the fact that we still try. Like humans, like you, we are victims of love when it refuses to be turned away."
Jin wiped another tear from her eyes. He answered, "So, I wasn't pretending."
Then it was real. It was all real.
"Jin," she breathed.
He brought her hands to his lips. "You came to my interview like a ticking time bomb."
She laughed, furrowing her brows. "What?"
He grinned. "Here came this beautiful applicant talking nonstop about love. I needed to stay away from you."
She blushed, sniffling again. His expression darkened, his plump lips gingerly kissing her knuckles. He said, "What's terrifying is that Vanity didn't need to find you first. The lower demons did. You would not have made it past that night had you not had Nico and Jungkook. I recognized the cat as soon as you ran to the building asking me to let you in, and there was so much weight behind what you wanted. If I let you in, I put you in the crossfire. If I left you out, you'd be gone before sunrise. I also have a hand in putting you in this situation, and for that, I apologize."
"Jin, don't blame yourself."
He bit his lip. She frowned.
"I also need to apologize because I'm selfish." He searched her eyes, seeming to hesitate before speaking again. "I don't regret letting you in. My heart is pretty damn cold, but there's something about you. Your annoying kindness, your heart, your grace. I regret nothing."
Wordlessly, she leaned into him and kissed him. A soft, slow kiss in the middle of a clock overgrown with gardenias ticking in a labyrinth of gold. His cold hand pressed against her cheek, and when she pulled away, she felt like a white breath of cold air left her lips. She leaned her forehead against his for a while, the silence crashing down and drowning them in one another's arms.
"I'm selfish too," she whispered. "I should have listened to you. At the ball. I shouldn't have left."
He smiled, lacing their hands together.
"It doesn't matter. Let's get you home."
:::
Hoseok needed scissors to cut the tag from a new pair of shoes. Yoongi did not open his door when he knocked, neither did Jin nor Namjoon. Jimin texted their phones earlier to tell them he'd be late coming home. Jungkook was most likely promenading throughout the skyscraper playing security guard on another floor and Taehyung... well, the kid could have been anywhere.
He settled on nabbing the dull pair from the kitchen. On his way there, Grey seemed to be just leaving with a glass of water. She appeared about as cheerful as she always did, but this time it was different. She was light on her feet. And pink from her forehead to her neck. She was happy.
"Grey!" He called, "Have you seen the scissors?"
She noticed him then, like she'd been yanked from a dream. That euphoric trance fell away, replaced with genuine concern. Concern for what--he couldn't exactly tell, but he recognized pity when it stared him in the face.
"I haven't seen you all day," she said.
"I've been here." He smiled. "You've been busy lately."
Her arms were around him in a second, her head resting on his chest. Hoseok stilled, returning the gesture after he realized what she was doing. He pat her hair, inhaled her homely vanilla scent and a hint of something else.
When she pulled away, she stretched to her tiptoes and kissed him on the forehead.
Grey said under her breath, "She's happy. I don't think she'll ever forget you."
She flounced past him, through the living room, up the stairs to her suite. Hoseok watched her leave. Pushed to the back of his mind were the new shoes. At the forefront, his thoughts were divided. Of course, half of that--half of his heart--was Rin's. It always would be.
Yet, the other half reminded him of rain and meteors and a cup of coffee he never had ages ago. All things with the essence of Grey. When she held him, she smelled as though she'd been flying.
:::
(A/N) Rested reader,
This is unedited. I will read over it again in the next few hours (after I wake up) to polish and smooth the edges. Please excuse any errors.
Whether you are a new or old reader perusing this chapter, my gratitude goes to you for transforming my summer into a gift. At the end of this May when I first published, I had not a single clue that I would have the honor of meeting and befriending you. This season passed by so quick, and in a matter of months there's a family surrounding TTS.
*DJ Khaled voice* BLESS UP!
Okay, enough cheesy crap.
As I return to school, I will not have time for leisure. That means my time for writing becomes scarce. Since I can't guarantee a schedule, I'll continue to post next release dates in the upcoming chapters.
Good luck to all of you in your upcoming school year! KICK NAMES, TAKE BUTT. ;)
Next release: 8/10 (AUGUST 10th)
With love,
M